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NORTH BAY TO BUILD LANDFILL: UP TO $16 MILLION BEING INVESTED IN COLUSA COUNTY INDIAN RESERVATION

Steve Hart
Staff Reporter

January 16, 2007

Sonoma County's largest trash hauler will invest up to $16 million to build a giant landfill on an Indian reservation in the Sacramento Valley, according to a Canadian company involved in the deal. North Bay Corp. isn't commenting on the announcement by Earthworks Industries Inc., which has a 25-year lease with the *Cortina* Band of Wintun Indians on 433 acres in Colusa County. The land on the *Cortina* Indian Rancheria just east of Lake County is earmarked for a landfill with room for 12 million to 15 million tons of municipal waste. Earthworks Industries, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, said North Bay Corp. has signed a letter of intent to acquire a 50 percent stake in the project for $4 million. In addition, Santa Rosa-based North Bay will loan up to $12 million to an Earthworks subsidiary for development of the landfill. North Bay also will pay $2 for each ton of waste dumped there. Under terms of the agreement, North Bay will finance, build and operate the landfill, Earthworks said. North Bay officials did not return repeated calls seeking comment on the deal. Privately held North Bay serves 100,000 residential and commercial customers in Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake and Marin counties. North Bay is Sonoma County's largest trash hauler, with contracts covering Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Windsor, the west county and Sonoma Coast. Sonoma County's central landfill closed in 2005 after reaching its capacity and the county now exports about 1,000 tons of waste each day to private landfills in Solano, Contra Costa and Marin counties. Contracts with those landfills expire in 2010 and Sonoma County is considering its long-term options for waste disposal, said Susan Klassen, deputy director of the county Department of Transportation and Public Works, which oversees the disposal site. So far, Sonoma County waste planners are recommending against reopening the existing county landfill because it would be difficult to obtain permits for expansion and too costly for the county to operate. Planners said the county should focus on a long-term arrangement to ship its waste to disposal sites outside the county by truck or rail. *Cortina* Rancheria is a 140-mile drive from Santa Rosa via the easiest route, which uses Interstates 80 and 5. North Bay hasn't informed the county of its involvement in the *Cortina* landfill project, Klassen said. But the landfill could be an option for Sonoma County in the future, she said. Representatives of Earthworks and the *Cortina* tribe didn't return calls seeking comment. It's unclear which communities would be served by the landfill, which would have enough space to accept Sonoma County's waste for 30 to 40 years, based on the current amount of trash the county generates. According to Earthworks' Web site, revenues from the landfill project will help the *Cortina* tribe pay for housing, education and health care programs. The proposed landfill has run into opposition from neighboring ranchers and Colusa County, which claimed it will harm the environment and cause transportation problems. Because it's on tribal land, the county and state have no control over the proposed landfill, said Steve Hackney, Colusa County's planning chief. Neighbors and the county are worried it will pollute groundwater and cause an increase in heavy trucks on rural roads, he said. The federal government, which holds the site in trust for the Indian tribe, isn't likely to provide adequate monitoring, Hackney said. Colusa County sued the U.S. Department of the Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs in federal court in 2003 after they approved the landfill, alleging they didn't conduct a proper environmental review. The county dropped the lawsuit last year because it ran out of money, Hackney said. The project still needs some permits from federal agencies and it is unclear when construction will begin, Hackney said. The sponsors are moving ahead with the project, which also will have a recycling facility, composting operation and bioremediation program, according to Earthworks. Earthworks is a publicly traded company on Canada's TSX Venture Exchange, a market for shares in early-stage companies. You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 521-5205 or steve.hart@pressdemocrat.com. PHOTO: 1 by CHRISTOPHER CHUNG / The Press Democrat, 2005 MAP: 1 by The Press Democrat: *Cortina* Rancheria North Bay Corp. trucks fill up their trailers with trash at the refuse transfer station in Healdsburg. The trash hauler is reported to be investing up to $16 million in a landfill in the Sacramento Valley. *Infobox: *TRASH TO TREASURE North Bay Corp. is reported to be investing up to $16 million in a landfill in Colusa County. Sonoma County's central landfill reached capacity in 2005. About 1,000 tons of waste each day are exported to landfills in neighboring counties, but the contracts are set to expire in 2010. The new landfill would have enough space to accept Sonoma County's waste for 30 to 40 years.